Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas on Saturday urged an end to internal violence and called for fresh talks to form a unity government. "I call on the Palestinian people and factions, in particular Hamas and Fatah, to halt internal clashes," Haniyeh said in a speech broadcast live on television.

"We must protect national unity and work to form a national unity government," said Haniyeh.

"Clashes must stop completely and forever. Gunfire must never be directed against Palestinians. The rifle must only be raised against the occupation," Haniyeh said.

He accused Israel and the United States of trying to stoke Palestinian civil war. "The American and Israeli policies seek to push the Palestinian people towards civil war and internal conflict so that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict becomes a Palestinian-Palestinian conflict," Haniyeh said in his address.